Thursday, October 03, 2013

Levi is Not What You Need

Two trades. Two very different approaches.

Earlier today, two offensive tackles were traded in the NFL. The Baltimore Ravens obtained Eugene Monroe from the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for Levi Brown from the Arizona Cardinals.

The Ravens have been inconsistent while the Steelers, frankly, have been abysmal. Both have glaring needs at the offensive line and the trades did not come as a surprise.

Monroe and Brown are both former high first-round draft picks, but their career are now at the opposite end of trajectory. While Monroe has been stuck in the purgatory named Jacksonville, he still managed to help produce a sustained running attack led by Maurice Jones-Drew. Many regard him as one of the emerging top tackles in the NFL. On the other hand, Brown, three years older than Monroe, has been called a bust and the Cardinals never have a great offense during his tenure there.

Now they are off to a new team, which may perhaps breathe new life into their career. While Yours Truly thinks that Monroe will become the second former-Jaguar (after linebacker Daryl Smith) to be a solid contributor for the Ravens this year, Brown will not fare much better than incumbent starter Mike Adams for the Steelers.

If trading for Brown is what the Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Todd Haley believe a move that can salvage their season (and perhaps their jobs), they could not be more wrong.

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